IBAN - International Bank Account Number

General

As the name implies, it should be an internationally usable account number. The claim of that name is however not fulfilled so far because the IBAN is used mainly in payments within the European Union but otherwise is little widespread. The idea in the design of the IBAN was to replace national account numbers with internationally accepted unique account numbers. In this way, new impetus to the ongoing globalization and the e-commerce should be set.

Already in the early design phase it was clear that a radical change in the structure of national account numbers would be impractical and unenforceable. The expected costs would be an enormous barrier for the dissemination of the required standards. A way out of this situation was found in the creation of an overarching framework. The national structures remain unchanged but be brought into a internationally unique representation, that is managed by the ISO. As a result, special IBAN structures for each national account must be defined, so that each can be transformed to or from an IBAN.

The final, global acceptance of the IBAN is expected not until a few years. Currently there are about 50 countries that have defined an IBAN standard.

Structure

The IBAN is composed of the three basic components, country code, checksum, and account identification (BBAN - Basic Bank Account Number). The country code consists of two letters and corresponds to the definition according ISO 3166-1. The 2 digits checksum, calculated from the IBAN with a special algorithm, is used to detect invalid IBANs. The account identification is composed of the different national components according to the definition of the State, defined by the country code. Due to the different composition of the account identification in the different countries, the IBAN has no generally valid length. The maximum length of an IBAN is including country code and check digits, 34 characters.

Length ->

1

2

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4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

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16

17

18

19

20

21

22

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24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

Length ->

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

Andorra

A

D

p

p

b

b

b

b

z

z

z

z

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Austria

A

T

p

p

b

b

b

b

b

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Belgium

B

E

p

p

z

z

z

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

P

P

Bulgaria

B

G

p

p

b

b

b

b

z

z

z

z

k

k

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

Switzerland

C

H

p

p

z

z

z

z

z

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Cyprus

C

Y

p

p

b

b

b

z

z

z

z

z

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Czech Republic

C

Z

p

p

b

b

b

b

K

K

K

K

K

K

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Germany

D

E

p

p

b

b

b

b

b

b

b

b

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Denmark

D

K

p

p

z

z

z

z

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

P

Estonia

E

E

p

p

n

n

b

b

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

P

Spain

E

S

p

p

b

b

b

b

z

z

z

z

P

P

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Finland

F

I

p

p

z

z

z

z

z

z

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

P

France

F

R

p

p

b

b

b

b

b

z

z

z

z

z

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

P

P

United Kingdom

G

B

p

p

n

n

n

n

z

z

z

z

z

z

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Gibraltar

G

I

p

p

n

n

n

n

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Greece

G

R

p

p

b

b

b

z

z

z

z

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Croatia

H

R

p

p

b

b

b

b

b

b

b

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Hungary

H

U

p

p

n

n

n

z

z

z

z

P

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

P

Ireland

I

E

p

p

n

n

n

n

z

z

z

z

z

z

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Iceland

I

S

p

p

z

z

z

z

t

t

k

k

k

k

k

k

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

Italy

I

T

p

p

P

b

b

b

b

b

z

z

z

z

z

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Liechtenstein

L

I

p

p

b

b

b

b

b

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Lithuania

L

T

p

p

b

b

b

b

b

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Luxembourg

L

U

p

p

b

b

b

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Latvia

L

V

p

p

n

n

n

n

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Malta

M

T

p

p

n

n

n

n

b

b

b

b

b

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Netherlands

N

L

p

p

n

n

n

n

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Norway

N

O

p

p

z

z

z

z

k

k

k

k

k

k

P

Poland

P

L

p

p

z

z

z

z

z

z

z

z

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Portugal

P

T

p

p

b

b

b

b

z

z

z

z

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

P

P

Romania

R

O

p

p

b

b

b

b

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Sweden

S

E

p

p

z

z

z

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

P

Slovenia

S

I

p

p

b

b

b

b

b

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

P

P

Slovak Republic

S

K

p

p

b

b

b

b

K

K

K

K

K

K

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Tunisia

T

N

p

p

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Turkey

T

R

p

p

b

b

b

b

b

r

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

Country code ISO 3166-1

p

Checksum ISO 7064

b

Bank code

z

Bank-Branch code

n

Bank identification number

k

Account number

K

Prefix of Account number

t

Account type

i

Identification number

r

Reserved

P

Regional Checksum

P

Another regional Checksum

Representation

It is distinct between electronic and paperformat in the representation of the IBAN. In the electronic representation are all characters of the IBAN without spaces or additional information present. On paper, the IBAN for easier reading is separated to blocks of 4 digits with the foregoing Label 'IBAN'.